The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-08-20
INVESTIGATING.


neers and Firemen; Also that of super
intendent Armstrong.
CHATswoRTH, H., Aug. l4.-The Board
OF Railroad Commissioners have beoun an.
investigation of the recent disaster.
j. j. Sutherland, one of the engineers of
the train, was sworn. He said he was a
locomotive engineer on the Toledo. Peoria
az Western road, running engine No. u in
the lead. The train was behind its schedule
time having started from Peoria thirty
minutes late. Some time was lost at
Weston and Forest, and tho train was
about two hours late when it drew out of
Forest. He saw as he approached the
bridge what seemed to be flames on the
south side of the track. He then saw
something was wrong with the bridge.
but it was too late TO do ANYTHING.
His fireman called to him to iump
and leaped from the engine, He
got onto the foot-board to prepare himself
for whatever came, but made up his mind
not to jump. When he first saw the bridge
1t looked like embers. II seemed to burst
into flames when he ran on the bridge. 1t
was not raging fire. nor did it communi.
cate with the cars on the bridge He saw.
as he expressed it, death staring him in
the face" He shut off his engine and felt
| the bridge sink. Sutherland then opened
the valve to get the train through. The
force OF the train pushed the engine over,
breaking it loose from the tender. He
/ stopped his engine and ran back
to the wreck. Witness carried
water and extinguished every thing in
the nature of an incendiary fire. He was
running between thirty and thirty-five
miles per hour, but could not tell exactly.
He said he saw danger at the bridge, the
! appearance being that of burning embers
or GOALS 1t was not blazing at the time.
There were more live Goals under the
bridge. Witness said he was not in his
normal condition as he crossed the bridge,
inasmuch as he never expected to get out
alive. There was no question in his mind
/ but that the bridge was on fire. He had
no power to stop the train between the
time he saw the fire and his arrival at the
bridge. His engine had no air brake.
Neither whistle was sounded for lack of
time. There could be no doubt of the
bridge being on fire when the engines
crossed. The flames were famed by the
passage of the train.
John Rogers, fireman of Sutherand's en-
CINE, was sworn. He saw a little fire ON
the side of the track near the bridge on
the night of the accident. He observed
sparks rising and Goals in the center of
the track, and jumped from the engine
calling to his engineer TO follow. Wit
ness and another fireman ran the engine
to Piper City and gave the alarm to the
citizens of the town. He thought the
bridge was burned away when he jumped.
Witness saw certain things which salts
fed him the bridge was burned. The
train was running pretty fast when the
accident occurred.
Axel Applegreen, the fireman of the
second engine in the train, was sworn.
Witness was leaning on the sill of the cab
window on the left hand side when the
engine jumped up in the air and turned
over on its side. He was scalded and
thought che was gone" as he expressed
it. He saw nothing of the fire at the time
of the accident, but saw it Immediately
afterwards.
s. f. Armstrong, superintendent of the
road, was sworn. He was on the excur-
sion train at the time of the accident.
The train was carefully inspected at
Peoria, and underhs supervision. 1t was
to run through to the Falls and consisted
of six sleepers, two chair cars, five ordin-
airy coaches pay car, baggage car and
two engines. The engineers watch
stopped at lao p. m. and he judges this
was the exact time of the accident. Wit
ness felt the front engineer reverse his en-
CINE and apply the brake about 800 feet
from the bridge. He looked down and
saw the burning bridge under the front
platform. Men with axes chopped down
the abutments so as to kill the flames. Fire
evidently caught in the east end of the
bridge and was working down in the old
stringers used for the bulkheads. Orders
were issued by him to roadmasters to
barn the dead grass and weeds J. H.
Markley, bridge inspector, on May IA, re-
ported the bridge in good condition and
good for two years The upper
works were but fourteen months old and
the bridge was reported to witness to be in
good condition. On Tuesday last he
ordered section men to go over the entire
section under their charge and inspect the
bridges. He did this for fear Of forest
fires. This order was sent TO c. Ennis,
division foreman at Gilman, and ordered
all section men to go over their sections
the last thing Wednesday night and
examine bridges. The train was running
from thirty to forty miles per hour. His
track was good for forty-6ve miles per
hour. The road is in fine condition-steel
rails with fish bars.
The investigation will be resumed at
Peoria early in the week, A number Of
witnesses will be subpened and ex.
amined at that time.
CHATswoRTH, ILL.,, Aug. Nv. A. Cook,
whose father is now one Of the coroner's
jury investigating the cause of the disas-
ter, gave an account of some things he saw
on that fearful night, which have not vet
been published. 81 was one of the first"
said he, ITO reach the wreck from Chats
worth. As | neared the dismantled train
stumbled over soma thing, and when
got into the light of the burning bridge, /
found blood upon my boots. l had fallen
over a couple Of victims who were quite
dead. In one car saw a number of peo-
l..